Biker Claiming £5m Injury Payout Spotted Walking Unaided

A motorcyclist seeking nearly £5 million in compensation after a crash has been accused of exaggerating his injuries after surveillance footage allegedly showed him walking normally.

Grant Greening-Steer, 51, fractured his spine in 2019 when a car pulled out in front of his motorbike near his home in New Milton, Hampshire.

The engineer is suing the driver's insurers for almost £5m, claiming the injuries left him unable to work and dependent on a mobility scooter. However, lawyers representing the driver and insurers told the High Court that secretly recorded footage appeared to contradict his claims.

Charles Woodhouse KC, acting for driver Derek Ainge and the insurers, accepted that the collision caused genuine spinal injuries. But he argued that Mr Greening-Steer had overstated the long-term impact in order to inflate the value of his compensation claim.

The court heard that Mr Greening-Steer is seeking damages of £4.92m, while the defence believes any award should be limited to about £112,000 — and argues the entire claim should be dismissed because of alleged dishonesty.

Mr Woodhouse said the claimant's "dishonesty has been present from the start", adding that surveillance footage gathered by investigators showed him moving freely despite claims of severe mobility problems.

Medical experts who reviewed both his injuries and the footage concluded there was evidence of symptom exaggeration, the court was told. One doctor reportedly stated that "conscious exaggeration is clearly depicted" and concluded that Mr Greening-Steer was "malingering to enhance the value of his claim".

The defence also pointed to medical records indicating he had made a reasonable recovery within the first year after the crash and had returned to part-time work, including operating a forklift truck, despite ongoing symptoms.

Lawyers argued this contrasted sharply with the picture painted in his legal claim, in which he described significant physical limitations and chronic fatigue.

The court heard that Mr Greening-Steer claimed he struggled to stand properly, walked with an altered gait and required mobility scooters, walking poles and a stick because of his restricted ability to walk. He also described difficulties with everyday activities such as carrying items and getting in and out of the bath.

Giving evidence, he said he avoided using a walking stick outside because he found it embarrassing. He also accepted telling doctors he could not walk more than 100 metres without exhaustion.

However, the court was shown footage allegedly showing him driving to a petrol station, refuelling his vehicle and walking normally without assistance.

Mr Woodhouse told the court the footage showed him moving with "a normal gait and with a normal arm swing".

The case continues.

Whitestone Solicitors